Daniel Roke owns a stud farm in Australia. He's young, smart, hard-working and desperate for some excitement - all of which makes him the ideal candidate for the Earl of October, who has come visiting. The Earl is concerned about a horse-doping scandal that is destroying English racing. He wants to pay Daniel to come back with him, pose as a highly corruptible stable lad and discover who is behind it. But when Daniel agrees, he doesn't realise just how close he'll have to get to find the truth. Nor how determined the criminals will be to prevent him living long enough to tell anyone . . . Packed with intrigue and hair-raising suspense, For Kicks is just one of the many blockbuster thrillers from legendary crime writer Dick Francis.

When defence barrister Geoffrey Mason hears the judge's guilty verdict, he quietly hopes that a long custodial sentence will be handed down to his arrogant young client. That Julian Trent receives only eight years seems all too lenient. Little does Mason expect that he'll be seeing Trent again much sooner than he'd ever imagined. Setting aside his barrister's wig, Mason heads to Sandown to don his racing silks. An amateur jockey, his true passion is to be found in the saddle. But when a fellow rider is brutallv murdered, the prime suspect is champion jockey Steve Mitchell. Mason soon finds himself fighting a battle of right and wrong and, more immediately, a battle of life and death . . . his own.

From "the best writer in the mystery genre" (Larry King) comes the story of a jockey who discovers that his losing streak is caused by something sinister.

Edward Lincoln may be a worldwide superstar who plays daring detectives on the big screen, but in reality he's just an ordinary man. Unfortunately, his ailing friend doesn't seem to think so-and now he's come to South Africa to investigate who's been tampering with her racehorses. But it isn't long before he realizes he must go face-to-face with a killer-and give the performance of his life to save his life...

Cheltenham Races, New Year's Eve. Gerard Logan witnesses the death of his close friend, jockey Martin Stukely, after a fall from his horse. In the aftermath, Gerard is left to pick up the pieces - including a mysterious unmarked videotape that Martin secretly left him. But before Gerard gets to watch it, the videotape is stolen. And soon further crimes against Gerard and those close to him start to occur. What was on the missing videotape? And why are the attacks continuing? In order to stay alive, Gerard needs to keep one step ahead of his enemies and uncover the truth - before his livelihood and everything he loves is shattered for good…

Wine merchant Tony Beach will do anything for a quiet life. But when a party to celebrate the end of the racing season ends in eight violent deaths, he is drawn reluctantly into the subsequent investigation. Meanwhile, the police, having evidence of the sale of illicit alcohol at a local club, ask for Tony's help in closing it down. Thanks to his intervention, Tony comes to the attention of the criminal underworld. And that's when he reluctantly realizes that the deaths and the illicit alcohol are connected. Tony doesn't want to be a hero. But if the choice is that or dying . . . Packed with intrigue and hair-raising suspense, Proof is just one of the many blockbuster thrillers from legendary crime writer Dick Francis.

When Kelly Hughes rides the favourite into second place, he gets penalised. Not only has he lost the race, but also his licence, as the Jockey Club suspends him - believing he threw the race. Only he knows that the problem lay with the horse's performance, not his own. Suspecting he was framed, Kelly sets about finding out how it was done, and then who might have done it. But the closer he gets to the perpetrators, the more danger he finds himself in. Now there's more than his reputation and career at stake. There's also his life . . . Packed with intrigue and hair-raising suspense, Enquiry is just one of the many blockbuster thrillers from legendary crime writer Dick Francis.

Tim Ekaterin has a lot of money. Unfortunately, it belongs to other people, and it is his job to invest it wisely, or get fired. And right now he's taken a big risk: using ?5 million to stud a champion racing stallion. When the resulting foals have birth defects, Tim is worried and decides that there may be something else going on at the stables. And when one of those helping with the horses is murdered, his suspicions are confirmed. Now it's not just about money, but about life and death. Determined to get answers, Tim puts himself in danger's path to discover the truth . . . Packed with intrigue and hair-raising suspense, Banker is just one of the many blockbuster thrillers from legendary crime writer Dick Francis.

Главный герой всех романов знаменитого английского писателя Дика Френсиса - человек не самой героической внешности, обычно находящийся в стесненных финансовых обстоятельствах, но всегда наделенный интеллектом, обостренным чувством справедливости, мужеством - и живучестью. Большинство произведений писателя посвящено скачкам, скорее, их теневой стороне. Жокеи, бывшие жокеи и владельцы лошадей борются за чистоту и красоту этого прекрасного вида спорта, защищают его от тех, кто хочет на нем наживаться и ради наживы готов на ужасные преступления. Предлагаем вниманию читателей неадаптированный текст романа, снабженный комментариями и словарем.

В 1960 году спортивный обозреватель газеты "Санди Таймс" Дик Френсис и его жена Мэри, имевшая некоторый литературный опыт, решили попробовать себя в жанре триллера. Супруги работали вместе: сначала сочиняли сюжет, потом Дик писал, а Мэри правила. Так в 1962 году был создан роман "Фаворит". Но на обложке стояло лишь имя Дика - Мэри категорически отказывалась афишировать свою роль в написании книги. Подобным же образом были написаны и остальные сорок романов. "Фаворит" оказался наиболее удачным романом писателя. Это детективная история из жокейской жизни, в которой в динамичной форме исследуется противостояние добра и зла. Шумный успех романа обусловил дальнейшее становление Френсиса как писателя. В "Фаворите" проявилась и определяющая манера изложения - репортерский стиль с подробной проработкой деталей и характеров персонажей, помноженный на знание темы. Скачкам - правильнее сказать, их теневой стороне - посвящена большая часть произведений писателя. Жокеи, бывшие жокеи и владельцы лошадей борются за чистоту и красоту этого прекрасного вида спорта, защищают его от тех, кто хочет на нем наживаться и ради наживы готов на ужасные преступления. Предлагаем вниманию читателей неадаптированный текст романа, снабженный комментариями и словарем. Комментарии и словарь Е.Г. Тигонен.

'Admiral met the fence perfectly. He rose to it as if flight were not only for birds. And he fell . . .' Alan York's friend, jockey Bill Davidson, was killed in Admiral's fall. After the race, York visits the fence and discovers a coil of wire lying beside the fence post and signs of where the wire had been attached. The fall was no accident - but murder. Unable to convince the police of this, York is forced to turn amateur sleuth and is soon on the trail of a ruthless gang of race-fixers operating out of Brighton. Now Alan's caught in a new race: find the gang's leaders before the gang catches up with him . . . Packed with intrigue and hair-raising suspense, Dead Cert is just one of the many blockbuster thrillers from legendary crime writer Dick Francis.

When inventor Stephen Scott abruptly fires his winning trainer Jody Leeds, the racing world is shocked and disgusted - though not quite as angry as Leeds, who swears revenge on his former friend. But Steven is convinced that Leeds has been stealing from him - and worse - and felt he had no choice. And when Leeds decides to enact his vengeance, Steven finds out just what a nasty piece of work he really is. Because now Steven is not only in fear of losing everything - but also his life. Somehow, he must prove to the world that Leeds is a vicious crook - or die trying . . . Packed with intrigue and hair-raising suspense, High Stakes is just one of the many blockbuster thrillers from legendary crime writer Dick Francis.

Matt Shore is a pilot down on his luck. Once he'd flown big jets and dropped supplies in war zones. Now he's ferrying high-class passengers between English racecourses. But when one eventful trip ends with his plane exploding in a ball of fire, Matt knows he's not that unlucky. When the police confirm it was a bomb, Matt realizes he has a problem. One of his passengers must have been the target - the question is who? Matt to find out fast - because he's scheduled to ferry the same people over the coming weeks. Can Matt stay alive long enough to stop the bomber? Packed with intrigue and hair-raising suspense, Rat Race is just one of the many blockbuster thrillers from legendary crime writer Dick Francis.

Francis Morgan, a wealthy heir of industrialist and Wall Street maven Richard Henry Morgan, is a jaded young New Yorker. When his father's business partner Thomas Regan suggests that Francis take a holiday in Central America, ostensibly to search for the treasure of the Morgans' legendary ancestor, Francis thinks it's a splendid idea. But he never suspects what adventures await across the border...

Francis Morgan, a wealthy heir of industrialist and Wall Street maven Richard Henry Morgan, is a jaded young New Yorker. When his father's business partner Thomas Regan suggests that Francis take a holiday in Central America, ostensibly to search for the treasure of the Morgans' legendary ancestor, Francis thinks it's a splendid idea. But he never suspects what adventures await across the border...

Dick Whittington Dick Whittington goes to London to make his fortune, but gets a cat! What happens when Dick gives his cat to a wealthy man? For over thirty-five years, the best-selling Read it yourself with Ladybird has helped children learn to read. All titles feature essential key words. Story-specific words are repeated to practise throughout. Designed to be read independently at home or used in a guided reading session at school. All titles include comprehension questions or puzzles, guidance notes and book band information for schools. This Level 4 title is ideal for children who are ready to read longer stories with a wider vocabulary and are keen to start reading independently.